Israelhttps://www.fightbacknews.org/taxonomy/term/524/all
enPFLP marks founding in huge Gaza marchhttps://www.fightbacknews.org/2019/12/21/pflp-marks-founding-huge-gaza-march
<p>The 52nd anniversary of the founding of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) was observed with a December 7 march by tens of thousands of members and supporters in Gaza City. The PFLP is playing a leading role in the struggle to end the Israeli occupation of Palestine. Over the past week Israeli authorities have arrested 50 Palestinians in the West Bank and accused them of being members of the PFLP.</p>
https://www.fightbacknews.org/2019/12/21/pflp-marks-founding-huge-gaza-march#commentsPeople's StrugglesInternationalIsraelMiddle EastPalestinePalestinePopular Front for the Liberation of PalestineSat, 21 Dec 2019 23:27:04 +0000Fight Back7723 at https://www.fightbacknews.orgIsraeli drone attack on Beirut suburbhttps://www.fightbacknews.org/2019/8/28/israeli-drone-attack-beirut-suburb
<p>Washington, DC - Israel launched a drone attack in Beirut’s southern suburb, Dahiyeh, August 24, targeting the media offices of the national democratic political party Hezbollah. Lebanese politicians denounced the attacks as “acts of war,” and Hezbollah stated it will respond.</p>
<p>Hezbollah reports that one of the Israelis drones exploded and the other did not - due to a technical failure. Of the drone that failed to blow up, Hezbollah stated “it was laden with a bomb which was professionally wrapped and isolated,” made up of C4 explosives. </p>
<p>In recent days, Israel has launched attacks on Syria, Iraq, Gaza, and eastern Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley.</p>
<p>Emboldened by Trump’s backing, and facing a growing tide of anger from the occupied Palestinians and the people of the Middle East, the Israeli authorities are lashing out at counties and popular political forces across the region.</p>
https://www.fightbacknews.org/2019/8/28/israeli-drone-attack-beirut-suburb#commentsPeople's StrugglesAntiwar MovementBeirutDonald TrumpInternationalIsraelLebanonMiddle EastPalestineOppressed NationalitiesU.S.Wed, 28 Aug 2019 15:08:24 +0000Fight Back7577 at https://www.fightbacknews.orgAnti-War Committee denounces Israel’s ban of Omar and Tlaibhttps://www.fightbacknews.org/2019/8/18/anti-war-committee-denounces-israel-s-ban-omar-and-tlaib
<p><em>Fight Back News Service is circulating the following August 15 statement from the Twin Cities based Anti-War Committee.</em></p>
<p>The Minnesota Anti-War Committee condemns the Israeli government’s August 15 decision not to allow US Representatives Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib from entering occupied Palestine, to which the Israeli state controls all access. Reps. Omar and Tlaib join the thousands of peace activists, human rights officials and people of conscience around the world who are denied entry over their support for the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaign against Israel and its Zionist policies of occupation, apartheid and settler-colonialism in Palestine. The two congresswomen also now share the experience of millions of diaspora Palestinians who live in forced exile, denied reentry to their homeland. Rep. Tlaib, a Palestinian-American, had planned to visit family in the occupied West Bank.</p>
<p>Representing Minnesota’s 5th Congressional District, Rep. Omar continues to face both racist incitement by President Trump and his supporters as well as dishonest allegations of anti-Semitism from her own Democratic Party. We commend Rep. Omar for her courage and steadfastness in the face of these attacks. Principled criticism of Israel is not anti-Semitism. We invite our supporters to join Rep. Omar in continued solidarity with the people of Palestine.</p>
<p>The Anti-War Committee continues our longstanding call for the total end to US aid to Israel. We maintain that Israel acts at the behest of US ruling class interests, as demonstrated by Israel’s announcement of the ban against Reps. Omar and Tlaib coming soon after a tweet by President Trump calling for it to do so. Far from being the so-called “only democracy in the Middle East,” Israel in fact is a profoundly undemocratic country, premised on the denial of Palestinian self-determination and functioning as a strategic outpost for US imperialism in the entire Middle East.</p>
<p>We encourage our supporters to join us at the MN State Board of Investment meeting on August 22 where we will pressure the State of Minnesota to divest from Elbit Systems, an Israeli company which profits from Israeli apartheid and from building the wall on the U.S./Mexico border. Minnesota should not invest in companies that profit from human rights abuses, nor in a country that bans our own member of Congress from entering to investigate human rights abuses.</p>
<p>We join with the U.S. Campaign for Palestinian Rights, Jewish Voice for Peace and the Council on American-Islamic Relations – MN in saying #LetThemIn!</p>
https://www.fightbacknews.org/2019/8/18/anti-war-committee-denounces-israel-s-ban-omar-and-tlaib#commentsPeople's StrugglesAntiwar MovementAnti War CommitteeAnti-fascismAnti-racismDonald TrumpIlhan OmarInternationalIsraelMiddle EastPalestineImmigrant RightsOppressed NationalitiesU.S.Mon, 19 Aug 2019 00:01:42 +0000Fight Back7564 at https://www.fightbacknews.orgIsrael unleashes missile attack on Syriahttps://www.fightbacknews.org/2019/6/30/israel-unleashes-missile-attack-syria
<p>Washington, DC - According to Middle East press reports, Israel warplanes over Lebanon unleashed missile attacks on Syrian military sites in Homs and the outskirts of Damascus, July 1. </p>
<p>The Syrian Arab News Agency is reporting that a child was killed, and many more civilians were wounded.</p>
<p>Israel has stepped up its attacks on Syria. With the backing of the Trump administration, Israel recently annexed a portion of Syria, the Golan Heights.</p>
https://www.fightbacknews.org/2019/6/30/israel-unleashes-missile-attack-syria#commentsIsraelSyraSyriaMon, 01 Jul 2019 03:30:27 +0000Fight Back7494 at https://www.fightbacknews.orgDallas Palestine Coalition protests Israeli tech eventhttps://www.fightbacknews.org/2019/2/22/dallas-palestine-coalition-protests-israeli-tech-event
<p>Dallas, TX - On February 19, about ten people with the Dallas Palestine Coalition gathered at the SMU Cox School of Business to protest an event titled “Texas’ Looming Water Crisis: How Israeli Tech Could Save the Day.” The tech event was meant to encourage sales of Israeli technology - products built on stolen and occupied Palestinian lands.</p>
<p>Some went in to ask questions at the event while others protested outside. Protesters displayed a "Palestinian lives matter" banner and chanted. Chants included "Israel steals Palestinian homes, land and water," and "Israel continues to build illegal settlements on Palestinian land."</p>
<p>"Most people know that Israel constantly violates Palestinian human rights and they have been killing indiscriminately protesters since last March, including women, children, medics and journalists,"<br />
stated Asad Shelami of the Dallas Palestine Coalition. "We are here to take a stand."</p>
https://www.fightbacknews.org/2019/2/22/dallas-palestine-coalition-protests-israeli-tech-event#commentsPeople's StrugglesAntiwar MovementDallas Palestine CoalitionInternationalIsraelMiddle EastPalestinePalestineOppressed NationalitiesFri, 22 Feb 2019 17:05:22 +0000Fight Back7271 at https://www.fightbacknews.orgFrank Chapman condemns shameful and cowardly decision to revoke award to Angela Davishttps://www.fightbacknews.org/2019/1/9/frank-chapman-condemns-shameful-and-cowardly-decision-revoke-award-angela-davis
<p>Chicago, IL – Longtime leader in the Black liberation movement and the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, Frank Chapman, condemned the January 4 decision of the Alabama-based Birmingham Civil Rights Institute to abruptly cancel their plan to present Angela Davis with the Fred Shuttlesworth Award. Fred Shuttlesworth was a prominent leader in the civil rights movement.</p>
<p>Chapman stated, “Angela Davis and Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth were dearest friends and co-leaders in the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression at the same time that I served as its executive director.”</p>
<p>“It is very shameful and cowardly that she is being denied an award that bears the name of Fred Shuttlesworth because she opposed the racist, Zionist regime in Israel for their continued persecution of Palestinian freedom fighter Rasmea Odeh. This particular U.S. cultural center dishonors Fred Shutlesworth, Angela Davis and our movement,” continued Chapman.</p>
<p>According to a statement from the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, because of “Ms. Davis’ statements and public record, we concluded that she unfortunately does not meet all of the criteria on which the award is based.”</p>
<p>Organizations supporting the Israeli occupation of Palestine have been waging a vendetta campaign against political figures who demanded justice for veteran Palestinian American activist Rasmea Odeh. A powerful movement that brought together Palestinians and progressive people across the U.S. prevented her imprisonment on trumped-up charges, but she was deported.</p>
https://www.fightbacknews.org/2019/1/9/frank-chapman-condemns-shameful-and-cowardly-decision-revoke-award-angela-davis#commentsPeople's StrugglesAntiwar MovementAfrican-AmericanAngela DavisAnti-racismFrank ChapmanInternationalIsraelMiddle EastNational Alliance Against Racist and Political RepressionPalestinePolitical RepressionIn-Justice SystemOppressed NationalitiesWed, 09 Jan 2019 23:16:48 +0000Fight Back7179 at https://www.fightbacknews.orgIsrael launches Christmas missile attack on Damascushttps://www.fightbacknews.org/2018/12/26/israel-launches-christmas-missile-attack-damascus
<p>Washington, DC - The Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) is reporting that Israel struck the region around Damascus, December 25.</p>
<p>According to the report, “Syrian air defenses confronted hostile missiles launched by the Israeli warplanes from over the Lebanese territories and downed most of them before reaching their targets, affirming that the damages of the aggression were limited to a munition warehouse and the injury of three soldiers.”</p>
<p>U.S. and Israeli-backed forces in Syria are in the final stages of defeat.</p>
https://www.fightbacknews.org/2018/12/26/israel-launches-christmas-missile-attack-damascus#commentsPeople's StrugglesIsraelMiddle EastSyriaSyriaSyrian Arab News AgencyWarWed, 26 Dec 2018 17:18:21 +0000Fight Back7159 at https://www.fightbacknews.orgAirbnb commits to removing rentals in illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bankhttps://www.fightbacknews.org/2018/11/20/airbnb-commits-removing-rentals-illegal-israeli-settlements-west-bank
<p>Washington, D.C. – On November 19 AXIOS reported that after years of controversy, Airbnb will remove all home-sharing lists - roughly 200 - in illegal Israeli settlements built on occupied Palestinian land in the West Bank. According to a blog post, Airbnb said they have developed a five-part checklist to evaluate how it handles listing in occupied territories and based off that checklist, they "concluded that we should remove listings in Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank that are at the core of the dispute between Israelis and Palestinians."</p>
<p>The announcement comes after years of sustained advocacy from a coalition of groups known as the StolenHomes Coalition - which included organizations like SumOfUs, CODEPINK, American Muslims for Palestine, the US Palestinian Community Network, the US Campaign for Palestinian Rights, Friends of Sabeel North America, Up Lift and Jewish Voice for Peace.</p>
<p>More than 150,000 people from around the world joined onto a petition urging Airbnb to stop listing vacation rentals in Israeli settlements built on stolen Palestinian land and deemed illegal under international law. Thousands of people also left reviews on a microsite parodying Airbnb rental listings and calling attention to the fact that the vacation rental company continues to list Israeli settlements in the West Bank.</p>
<p>Coalition members held a protest at Airbnb’s European headquarters in Ireland, and in other cities around the world. Coalition members also called on Fidelity Investments, one of Airbnb’s largest owners, to push the company to stop the illegal rentals and released a video campaign called “We Can’t Live There. So Don’t Go There,” featuring Palestinians speaking directly to Airbnb’s new marketing campaign “Don’t Go There. Live There,” and urging potential travelers not to rent vacation homes in settlements, which are often not clearly identified as such in the website’s listings.</p>
<p>“There’s no delicate way to say this: for years, Airbnb has profited from rental suites built on top of the ruins of Palestinian lives and livelihoods,” explained Angus Wong , Campaign Manager from SumOfUs.org. “While it is good that Airbnb finally recognized the illegal nature of these listings and pulled them from their website - this decision took way too long. By listing these stolen homes for years, Airbnb directly helped Israeli settlers legitimize their occupation of stolen Palestinian land, contributing to the Israeli government's decades-long policies of occupation, discrimination and dispossession. We will be monitoring Airbnb to make sure that no more illegal rental properties built on Palestinian land are listed on the site - and urge Airbnb to take steps to make amends to the Palestinian people by donating profits from these illegal listings to Palestinian organizations working to provide services to people amidst the Israeli occupation.”</p>
<p>"The U.S. Palestinian Community Network (USPCN) celebrates the decision by Airbnb to finally act on its stated values of inclusiveness and anti-discrimination," said Hatem Abudayyeh, National Coordinating Committee member of USPCN, "especially since Israeli settlement listings are the exact opposite of these principles. "They represent exclusive, militarized ethnic enclaves, illegal under international law, that Airbnb helped normalize as tourist destinations. For visitors to Palestine, we hope Airbnb rentals continue to be an important avenue for our people in Occupied Palestine to showcase their hospitality and history. We are happy now that they can do so without the shadow of colonialism as competition."</p>
https://www.fightbacknews.org/2018/11/20/airbnb-commits-removing-rentals-illegal-israeli-settlements-west-bank#commentsPeople's StrugglesAntiwar MovementAirbnbAnti-racismIsraelPalestinePalestineWest BankTue, 20 Nov 2018 21:16:34 +0000Fight Back7095 at https://www.fightbacknews.orgOra Schub: In memoriamhttps://www.fightbacknews.org/2018/6/13/ora-schub-memoriam-0
<p>Chicago, IL - To me, Ora Schub is a Palestinian. Her parents, who practiced Judaism, were born in Palestine before the founding of the settler-colonial state of Israel, so in essence, they were Palestinian Jews. And Ora took her nationality from her parents, so in my book, that makes her a Palestinian. But even if she didn't identify as one, Ora made a decision long ago to be an anti-Zionist and an anti-racist, and to join the movement in support of Palestinian self-determination, in support of the Right of Return for all Palestinian refugees and their descendants, and in support of ending Israeli colonization and occupation of all Arab lands.</p>
<p>When she was younger, she went to Hebrew school and probably learned much about the myths of Israel's founding, that Palestine was "a land without a people for a people without a land" and that the European Jewish settlers "made the desert bloom." But as soon as she was old enough to make her own determination about faith, she decided that she wouldn't identify with Judaism or any religion. The issue, to her, was a simple one that had nothing to do with faith. It was as simple as white settlers from Europe stealing land and pushing out the indigenous Palestinians. And that, she flatly rejected.</p>
<p>The only solution to her was to defeat Zionism and build a pluralistic society in a single, democratic state for all who live in historical Palestine (which is what we Palestinians call the land, collectively, of present day Israel, the West Bank, Jerusalem, and Gaza - "from the river to the sea"). And so we easily hit it off, because that's what I believe as well.</p>
<p>My friend Ora Schub died on Monday, June 11, 2018, after a long and courageous battle with cancer. She was surrounded by her family and closest friends. I visited her a number of times while she was in hospice, and although it was sometimes a struggle for her to speak, she continued to be as thoughtful and funny as ever while we whispered our final words to each other. And for those who know her best, she was still able to raise her eyebrows and roll her eyes in semi-disgust when I said something obnoxious or not quite as funny as I thought it was.</p>
<p>I'm not sure that I got to say everything I wanted to her, or she to me, but I was at least able to tell her two undeniable truths: that she was as important a colleague as I've ever had at the Arab American Action Network (AAAN). And that I loved her.</p>
<p>When I met Ora, it was 1999, and I had just been hired as the AAAN's youth program director. Amongst the co-founders of the organization were the legendary Arab community organizers Camilia Odeh and Maha Jarad, who know my family well and asked me to apply. Ora was recruited by them as a member of the AAAN's founding board of directors and remained one until her death.</p>
<p>Full disclosure: she tried to resign many times, saying that she didn't want to be like the Mayors Daley and stay in a leadership position for decades, but I'd respond by inviting her out to lunch in Hyde Park near her home and office, and invariably convince her to stay.</p>
<p>Whenever there was a crisis I was dealing with at the AAAN, Ora was my first call. She had a way of calmly, thoughtfully, and honestly assessing every situation, and giving me advice that always helped resolve the challenges we were facing. As a long-time community organizer and advocate, she also played a leading role in shaping our youth organizing work, by reviewing grants and work plans, participating in site visits with funders, and supporting our programs, projects, and actions with her presence and her brilliant analyses and critiques.</p>
<p>She was always there for me in times of personal crisis as well, and I'll always appreciate that just as much.</p>
<p>Although I never had the pleasure of participating in any of her restorative justice circle trainings, and although it took a few conversations for her to convince me of its efficacy, the methodology became a staple of our work at the AAAN. Rasmea Odeh, our former associate director and Arab Women's Committee coordinator, was trained by her, as well as a few of our youth organizers over the years. We still use circles in the organization to this day, at every level of our work. Ora and Cheryl Graves, her close friend and together, co-directors of the Community Justice for Youth Institute, are the forebears of Chicago's restorative justice movement.</p>
<p>I never really understood how important Ora was in that movement until her cancer metastasized and she went back to the hospital for more chemotherapy, radiation and surgeries. I visited Northwestern Hospital the day she had a tumor removed from her spine, and over a number of subsequent visits, I read all the cards and notes people had left for her, saw the dozens of beautiful pictures people had pinned to a bulletin board in her hospital and hospice rooms, and met a number of extraordinary organizers and activists who all described Ora as their teacher.</p>
<p>Hundreds of people visited her near the end, people from all walks of life and all nationalities, ethnicities and races. She was truly a woman of the people - adored, loved and respected for her passionate defense of the marginalized, and for her "courage, tenacity, loyalty and hunger for justice," as Camilia Odeh texted to me today when she heard the news.</p>
<p>This hunger for justice reminds me of two of my favorite Ora Schub stories. She had been the Chicago chapter president of the National Lawyers Guild (NLG) at one point, and had helped organize - with the National Conference of Black Lawyers (NCBL) - a number of human and legal rights delegations to other countries. One of the trips was either in 1990 or ‘91, when the Kuwaiti government was extra-judicially expelling Palestinian residents from its state in the wake of Iraq's war with the Gulf country. (Kuwait was claiming that the Palestinians there were "5th columnists.") The NCBL and NLG tried to stop those deportations.</p>
<p>A number of years later, Stan Willis, venerable attorney and a leader of the NCBL, invited Ora to speak at its Chicago gathering. He knew that she represented the AAAN, so he wanted an Arab statement of solidarity with his organization. Ora didn't think that she'd be the best person to give the statement, so she asked me to join her and address the crowd. Together, we came up with the closing sentence of "Black liberation in the U.S. will lead to liberation for all," a political line that we still believe in and practice to this day.</p>
<p>As a close friend and ally to both the Black and Arab communities of Chicagoland and the U.S., Ora was one of the first mentors of mine to explain the importance of #BlackPalestinianSolidarity in our organizing work.</p>
<p>The second story was probably Ora's favorite. After Israel was forced to end its 18-year-long occupation of southern Lebanon in 2000, the prominent Palestinian-American scholar and intellectual Edward Said hurled a rock towards Israel from the emancipated Lebanese side of the border, in what he called a "symbolic act."</p>
<p>A few years later, sometime after Said's death in 2003, Ora was on another human and legal rights delegation, this time in Lebanon, and found herself at almost the same spot as Said in 2000. There she and the other delegates were photographed by Lebanese press hurling their own rocks at the border. She said she did it "in honor of Edward Said," and that newspaper picture remains framed on her office desk today. I've asked Cheryl Graves for a copy, and it will now adorn the wall next to my desk in honor of Ora.</p>
<p>The board, staff, and members of the AAAN are in mourning today. "She was an amazing activist, solid and committed, a person of all people, and above all funny," said Louise Cainkar, another original AAAN board member. "She made me laugh all the time. That's what I told her when I saw her last."</p>
<p>The AAAN offers its deepest condolences to Ora's family: siblings Zeva, Mo, and Drora Schub; nephews Isaiah Freeman-Schub and AJ Schub (Taylor); Karla Schub; Sharron Pitts; Leroy, Jordan, and Brittany Jemison; Cheryl Graves; Lou-Ellen Saidel; David Gordon; and Leslie Burns.</p>
<p>To Zeva, Sharron, and Cheryl, especially, we salute you for being so steadfast and kind, handling all the visitors and well-wishers with respect and love.</p>
<p>The AAAN will never be the same without Ora Schub. And I will miss my friend.</p>
https://www.fightbacknews.org/2018/6/13/ora-schub-memoriam-0#commentsPeople's StrugglesAntiwar MovementInternationalIsraelMiddle EastOra SchubPalestinePalestineRemembrancesWed, 13 Jun 2018 17:21:38 +0000Fight Back6783 at https://www.fightbacknews.orgPFLP: Rallies in Ramallah, Dheisheh must grow to confront occupation, PA sanctions on Gazahttps://www.fightbacknews.org/2018/6/13/pflp-rallies-ramallah-dheisheh-must-grow-confront-occupation-pa-sanctions-gaza
<p><em>Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement from the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP).</em></p>
<p>PFLP urges the continuation of the popular movement in the occupied West Bank and throughout Palestine to confront occupation and the actions of the Palestinian Authority</p>
<p>The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine saluted the masses of the Palestinian people in the West Bank who came out Sunday evening in Ramallah and Dheisheh in mass rallies in support of our people in the Gaza Strip. These rallies rejected the punitive measures and sanctions imposed on Gaza by the Palestinian Authority. The Front called for continued and escalating popular movement in the occupied West Bank and for growing pressure on the PA to put an end to the crime of sanctions on the Gaza Strip forever.</p>
<p>The Front considered that the broad popular participation in these rallies, embodied with slogans and angry chants against the continuing sanctions on the Gaza Strip, proved that the unity of our people is stronger than the attempts to destabilize it through practices aimed at striking our people in the Gaza Strip and their resistance. The Authority must re-calculate all of its bets on continuing the crimes of starving Gaza and attempting to divide our people and draw lessons from the words of the masses in the streets yesterday.</p>
<p>The Front condemned the actions of the PA security services that attempted to provoke the mass demonstration participants in an attempt to end the march and try to prevent it from moving forward. The voice of the people and their determination to make this demonstration a success was stronger than all of these repressive practices.</p>
<p>The Front emphasized that the people in the heart of Ramallah and Bethlehem sent a strong message to all those who traffic and conspire with the pain and suffering of our people that no one, no matter their title or position, can ignore the will of the Palestinian people and their loud, strong voice. Yesterday, this was clear in the streets of Ramallah and Dheisheh: Together with our people in the diaspora and on the front lines of the Return camps in the Gaza Strip!</p>
<p>The Front added that the Palestinian masses broke the “barrier of silence” yesterday, expressing clearly their national spirit of unity and rejection of all policies and practices that increase the suffering of the Gaza Strip, which is under siege and facing continued Zionist aggression. Gaza deserves all of our support and these sanctions must be ended immediately.</p>
<p>The Front further expressed its confidence in the youth of the West Bank and their awareness of the necessity to continue these marches of anger and transfer them to all of the cities of the West Bank, as seen last night in their success in mobilizing these marches for Gaza as well as the significant rise in confrontations of the Zionist soldiers and settlers in recent weeks.</p>
<p>The Front also emphasized the need for the March of Return to continue to mobilize and expand throughout Palestine. It also emphasized the efforts to achieve national reconciliation, restore unity and create a new political process that meets the level of the sacrifices of the Palestinian people. The Palestinian masses proved yesterday in Ramallah and Dheisheh and before that in Gaza, Haifa and Umm al-Fahm that they know the way forward and that the pulse of the masses pushes forward our struggle for return and liberation.</p>
<p>The Front also called upon the organizations and associations of the Palestinian people in the diaspora to engage in this growing national and popular movement to express the unity of our people and their position everywhere.</p>
<p>Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine</p>
<p>11 June 2018</p>
https://www.fightbacknews.org/2018/6/13/pflp-rallies-ramallah-dheisheh-must-grow-confront-occupation-pa-sanctions-gaza#commentsPeople's StrugglesAntiwar MovementInternationalIsraelMiddle EastPalestinePalestinePFLPWed, 13 Jun 2018 17:16:33 +0000Fight Back6782 at https://www.fightbacknews.orgProtest in Milwaukee against the Israeli ambassador to the U.S.https://www.fightbacknews.org/2018/6/11/protest-milwaukee-against-israeli-ambassador-us
<p>Milwaukee, WI - On June 3, Israeli ambassador to the U.S. Ron Dermer visited Milwaukee and spoke at the local Rotary Club at the War Memorial Center to discuss the recent move of the U.S. Israeli embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. During his address, Dermer made it clear that the move represents “one of the greatest decisions in the history of Zionism.”</p>
<p>Outside the building where Dermer was giving his address, a group of 70 protesters gathered with flags, signs and megaphones. The demonstration was organized by several local groups, including Jewish Voices for Peace-Milwaukee, Peace Action Wisconsin, and the U.S. Palestinian Community Network-Milwaukee.</p>
<p>A few of the participants managed to gain access to the event to give cues to the protesters on the outside. Those listening to the address communicated when the ambassador was speaking and whether or not they could hear the chanting from the outside. Demonstrators were pleased to hear that their messages were loud and clear and had a definite impact on the atmosphere of the room.</p>
<p>Samir Moukaddam, a Milwaukee activist leader and co-organizer of the protest, said that the Rotary event was set up in an effort to protect the Israeli ambassador from any kind of criticism from the community.</p>
<p>“The #ApartheidAmbassador event was purposely held in a way to shield the extremist Ambassador Ron Dermer from facing the truths of his criminal regime and its alliances in the U.S. with neo-cons, Islamophobics, fascists, anti-Semites and the Trump administration,” Moukaddam said. “Our protest succeeded in cracking that shield and sent a strong message that we will expose his lies and whitewashings of the crimes of the Israeli regime.”</p>
<p>At one point during the protest, several of the organizers handed out flyers with the names of the Palestinian martyrs who have been killed by the Israeli occupation since the beginning of the Great March of Return on March 30. A few protesters read the names of the slain and the rest of the group chanted in unison “We remember you!” directing their voices at the building so the ambassador and his audience might hear.</p>
<p>When the speaking event came to a close, the protesters marched down to the parking lot, outside the only exit from the building. As the attendees filtered out one-by-one, protesters showered them with chants of “Shame!” “Shame on you!” “Shame on Israel!” “Free, free Palestine!” and “Long live Palestine!”</p>
<p>Ambassador Dermer made an effort during his speech to try to connect Milwaukee to the growth and development of Zionism through the person of Golda Meir, who served as Israel’s fourth prime minister from 1969 to 1970. However, if this demonstration was any indicator, the people of Milwaukee reject wholesale the genocidal apartheid regime in Israel and stand in full support of the Palestinian people in their struggle for liberation.</p>
https://www.fightbacknews.org/2018/6/11/protest-milwaukee-against-israeli-ambassador-us#commentsPeople's StrugglesAntiwar MovementAnti-racismIsraelMiddle EastMilwaukeePalestinePalestineTue, 12 Jun 2018 02:38:47 +0000Fight Back6779 at https://www.fightbacknews.orgNew Yorkers protest pro-Israel paradehttps://www.fightbacknews.org/2018/6/6/new-yorkers-protest-pro-israel-parade
<p>New York, NY - Over 70 Palestinians and solidarity activists protested the Celebrate Israel Parade on June 3 in New York. The parade commemorated the 70th anniversary of Al Nakba or “the catastrophe,” when the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians led to the founding of Israel.</p>
<p>Pro-Palestine protesters chanted and held coffins up in the air. There were large signs with photos of the over 100 killed a few weeks ago during the Great March of Return. Protesters jeered Senator Chuck Schumer, Governor Andrew Cuomo, and Mayor Bill de Blasio for participating. Chants included “Little kids, there’s still time, go home and Google ‘Palestine’” and “How do you spell murderer? I-D-F!”</p>
<p>After the rally, the protesters marched to Columbus Circle with the coffins held high and a large Palestinian flag waving in the wind, handing out flyers to educate people about Palestine.</p>
<p>The action was organized by the NY4Palestine coalition. To stay updated on their upcoming actions and events, follow them here <a href="https://facebook.com/NY4Palestine/" title="https://facebook.com/NY4Palestine/">https://facebook.com/NY4Palestine/</a>.</p>
https://www.fightbacknews.org/2018/6/6/new-yorkers-protest-pro-israel-parade#commentsPeople's StrugglesAntiwar MovementAl NakbaAnti-fascismAnti-racismInternationalIsraelMiddle EastNew YorkPalestinePalestineWed, 06 Jun 2018 18:31:12 +0000Fight Back6772 at https://www.fightbacknews.orgMinnesotans to show solidarity with Palestine during Ramadanhttps://www.fightbacknews.org/2018/5/21/minnesotans-show-solidarity-palestine-during-ramadan
<p>Minneapolis, MN - The Anti-War Committee is organizing a bannering to show solidarity with Palestinians facing repression from the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) in Gaza. It will take place on May 23 at 7:30 p.m. at the intersection of Central Avenue and 43rd Avenue NE.</p>
<p>More than 100 Palestinians have been killed and thousands more injured during the Great March of Return protests, mostly by Israeli sniper attacks.</p>
<p>Meredith Aby-Keirstead, a member of the Anti-War Committee, explained the goal of the action, “We want to maximize the international attention that is focused on the situation in Gaza with a local action to talk about the impact of U.S. aid to Israel and the need for a stronger Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement. We hope people will join us in heart of the Twin Cities Palestinian community to send a message of solidarity at home and abroad. We hope that Muslims can come to the protest before their Iftar dinners and that we'll be seen by folks shopping for their Iftar dinners.”</p>
https://www.fightbacknews.org/2018/5/21/minnesotans-show-solidarity-palestine-during-ramadan#commentsPeople's StrugglesAntiwar MovementAnti-fascismAnti-racismGazaIsraelMinnesotaPalestinePalestineMon, 21 May 2018 14:25:10 +0000Fight Back6747 at https://www.fightbacknews.orgPFLP leader: The Great Return March is a popular referendum on Palestinian rights and resistancehttps://www.fightbacknews.org/2018/3/31/pflp-leader-great-return-march-popular-referendum-palestinian-rights-and-resistance
<p><em>Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement from Jamil Mizher, member of the Political Bureau of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) and leader of its branch in Gaza.<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span></em></p>
<p>“We pay tribute to the martyrs who rose today, on Land Day, in the mass rallies for return that brought together hundreds of thousands of our people in the Gaza Strip. The March of Return is a popular referendum to uphold our rights and constants, especially the right of return, which can never be bargained for or traded,” said Comrade Jamil Mizher, member of the Political Bureau of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and leader of its branch in Gaza. “This march has thwarted all of the bets of the occupation on undermining the unity of the Palestinian people.”</p>
<p>Mizher made his comments as he participated with a large number of leaders, cadres and members of the Front on the eastern border of the Strip. “Our people and their action across the Gaza Strip today have opened a new stage with their blood and sacrifice, confirming their adherence to their full national rights, to resistance and intifada and confrontation of all forms of Zionist aggression, siege and liquidation projects like the ‘deal of the century.'”</p>
<p>He noted that the Great Return March does not end today but is a continuous program of activities that will escalate toward the anniversary of the Nakba on May 15. “Today, our people have demonstrated that they are alive, ready to sacrifice, united and capable of defeating all conspiracies against Palestinian rights and principles. This is a major event and requires all to prioritize the supreme national interest above all narrow, partisan considerations and rise to the level of sacrifice and greatness embodied by the Palestinian masses.”</p>
<p>Further, Mizher said that the Palestinian people were united today in confronting all of the schemes to deny their rights, including the “Deal of the Century,” the declaration of the transfer of the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem and the targeting of refugee rights. The Marches of Return impose a new equation on the occupation and the international community and make clear that the Palestinian people will never abandon their rights and will determinedly confront all such attempts.</p>
<p>“The criminal attack by Zionist soldiers on Palestinians today in the March of Return is proof of the state of chaos that has persisted for many days and of their utter inability to break the will of resistance and steadfastness among the Palestinian people who gathered in their thousands today,” Mizher said.</p>
<p>“This unified national scene today reflects the steadfastness of the Palestinian people and their attachment to their land, the land of their ancestors for generations. This is the true expression of the will of our people…confrontation of the occupation is the most effective means to restore national unity and rearrange the Palestinian house,” noted Mizher.</p>
<p>He concluded by saluting the Palestinian masses in the homeland and in exile, especially those in Occupied Palestine ’48, who today commemorated the anniversary of Land Day alongside their people in the Gaza Strip, confirming to the occupier that all Palestinians are united and firmly rooted in the land.</p>
https://www.fightbacknews.org/2018/3/31/pflp-leader-great-return-march-popular-referendum-palestinian-rights-and-resistance#commentsPeople's StrugglesAntiwar MovementGazaIsraelLand DayPalestinePalestinePFLPPopular Front for the Liberation of PalestineSun, 01 Apr 2018 00:02:42 +0000Fight Back6603 at https://www.fightbacknews.orgNew York stands with Ahed Tamimihttps://www.fightbacknews.org/2018/2/19/new-york-stands-ahed-tamimi
<p>New York, NY - About 40 activists gathered outside the Israeli Consulate on the afternoon of Feb. 18, as a part of the national day of action in solidarity with the Palestinian girl, Ahed Tamimi. </p>
<p>On Dec. 19, 2017, when Ahed Tamimi was 16 years old, she was arrested by Israeli occupation troops in the middle of the night. The charges against her was that she had slapped an IDF soldier while attempting to defend herself, her family and her country. Along with Ahed, her mother, Nariman Tamimi, was arrested later that day when she went to ask about her daughter. On Jan. 11, Mohammad Tamimi (Ahed’s cousin) was arrested from his home. On Jan. 22, her brother, Osama Tamimi, was also arrested. With each arrest it becomes more clear that Israeli forces are targeting the militant and brave Tamimi family, who are known for leading protests in their hometown, Nabi Saleh. </p>
<p>Currently, all the Tamimis who have been arrested are still incarcerated. Ahed Tamimi is facing trial as she is one of the hundreds of Palestinian children detained and imprisoned in Israeli prisons.</p>
<p>The New York activists strove to ensure that passersby and attendees understood the importance of supporting Ahed Tamimi. While the pro-Palestine activists were chanting, they were faced with pro-Zionist forces - a smattering of members from the Jewish Defense League (JDL).</p>
<p>The JDL members were aggressive and confrontational, attempting to distract the pro-Palestine forces as they continued chanting and rallying. At one point, they began pointing out members of the crowd who had previously identified themselves as Jewish, calling them “Hitler” and saying, “I’m glad Hitler killed your family.” </p>
<p>Despite the JDL, the spirits and resolve to stand in solidarity with Ahed Tamimi and her family remained strong. </p>
<p>The protest was called for by the Samiound Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network and attended by different organizations from the NY4Palestine coalition, such as NYC Students for Justice in Palestine.</p>
<p>Michela Martinazzi, from the Committee to Stop FBI Repression NY, was the chant leader and MC of the event and closed out the evening with a mic check, “I’m so happy to see all of you this evening. It’s important that we keep fighting for, celebrating, and emulating Ahed Tamimi’s example. We will not stop protesting until she is free. I will see you next time!”</p>
https://www.fightbacknews.org/2018/2/19/new-york-stands-ahed-tamimi#commentsPeople's StrugglesAntiwar MovementAhed TamimiCSFRNYIsraelNY4PalestinePalestinePalestinePolitical PrisonersPolitical RepressionWomen's MovementMon, 19 Feb 2018 22:02:46 +0000Fight Back6532 at https://www.fightbacknews.org